sale (noun, m.) - salt; luce (noun, f.) - light Use the above words in a sentence. Is there such a thing as just teaching a subject in a way that is isolated from any considerations about belief or student formation? Does “doing something Christian in the school curriculum” mean finding a separate space in the day to preach words of God? These, according to research conducted by Trevor Cooling and colleagues, are assumptions that are held among some teachers in church schools. It is not surprising then that they would “struggle to imagine how their faith might shape their work in the classroom”. David I. Smith, in a recent article Faith in Schools: What Values are Communicated in Our Teaching and Learning?, challenges these assumptions by examining a short history of language textbooks, asserting that “it has never been the case that French is just French or that faith only works through words”.
"As soon as we take more than a passing look at history, the idea that the school subjects are a kind of given, just themselves and floating above the fray of faith and life, dissolves rather quickly. At any given moment, the practices and learning resources of schools are deeply shaped by and help to convey to learners what philosopher Charles Taylor calls the "social imaginary" - the implicit picture of how the world is supposed to work that provides the water in which our actions and institutions swim. This social imaginary shifts as society changes, and curriculum shifts with it." While one would hope faith-based schools would see themselves as having a stake in shaping this social imaginary, what if you are a Christian teacher working within a secular institution? This is my current situation. If I profess the Christian faith “as a true account of the shape of human responsibility and flourishing”, surely how I choose to teach this language, in any context, has to be in some sense bound up with that faith, whether God is mentioned in the classroom or not. Here are a couple of questions I'm grappling with:
As this school year draws to a close and another is in the planning phase, these could be good conversations to have in forming, perhaps renewing, your vision for language teaching. And if at times it seems our light has all but extinguished, let's take time to encourage one another to draw on its source. Libby Colla References: David I. Smith, Faith in Schools: What Values are Communicated in Our Teaching and Learning? Matthew 5:13-16 John 8:12
3 Comments
Rachel
29/11/2017 05:47:47 pm
As always, Libby, you challenge and uplift in this blog! How do we work out what we are implicitly teaching? It's hard, but worth the reflection! I'm going to put that on a sticky note on my computer to think about for next year. Can I ask where that wonderful definition of the Christian faith is quoted from? (A true account of the shape...) Thank you for the beautiful reminder to replenish from the source of light. I'm offering up a prayer for you now to find ways of being salt and light in your work. Joyeux Noël!
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Libby
29/11/2017 06:07:06 pm
Thank you so much for encouragement and prayers Rachel! All quotes are from David Smith’s article. Follow the embedded link to read it in full. I love the way he writes but even more how he spurs me on to think deeply and carefully about what it means to teach Chrisitianly.
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Rachel Moore
1/12/2017 11:09:32 pm
Merci! Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
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